


Puppy Love

by amaronith



Category: Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Background Peter/Gwen/MJ, Gen, I will fill the Eddie/Flash tag with fluffy nonsense all by myself if I have to, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Venom is a dog in this, and he is a GOOD BOY, this hasn't been beta read and for that I apologize
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-08 07:14:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14100159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amaronith/pseuds/amaronith
Summary: Flash Thompson didn’t need a dog. So what if he didn’t know what he was doing with his life, and he wasn’t actually processing the shit that happened with his father, or dealing with the emotions that came with having his future fall to pieces with a poorly timed knee injury that dicked over his football career?That didn’t mean he needed a dog.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kitausuret](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitausuret/gifts).



> I blame Kita. For all of this.
> 
> ...it's not Kita's fault, this is all on me and I regret nothing.

Flash Thompson didn’t need a dog. So what if he didn’t know what he was doing with his life, and he wasn’t actually processing the shit that happened with his father, or dealing with the emotions that came with having his future fall to pieces with a poorly timed knee injury that dicked over his football career?

That didn’t mean he needed a dog.

“Please Flash? Just come with me when I go look? Dad thinks I’d be safer if I had a dog, and you know how _he_ can be,” Gwen said, rolling her eyes and heaving an annoyed sigh, as though she needed a _dog_ when she was dating Peter Parker - the guy didn’t look like much, but he was alarmingly strong and fought like a wild animal when people he cared about were in danger - _and_ Mary Jane Watson, nevermind that Gwen herself fought dirty.

“Fine. But I’m _fine_ , I don’t need a dog.”

“Okay, okay, you don’t need a dog,” She said, holding up her hands in surrender. “I got it.”

He should’ve known that wasn’t the end of it - Gwen Stacy didn’t surrender to _anyone_.

\--

“Oh, look at this one! He’s so cute!”

“Not much of a guard dog, though, is he?” Flash asked, looking at the tiny chihuahua mix that was, admittedly, really cute.

“My apartment has a weight limit on dogs. Nothing over 15 pounds.”

He gave her a flat look. “That thing is barely five. _Ounces_.”

Gwen made a rude noise at him before she went back to cooing at the puppy and taking photos of it to send to Mary Jane.

Flash rolled his eyes at her and continued to wander through the cages when he came across a black dog with white markings on his eyes and on his chest. Flash glanced at the info card pinned to the bars of his cage. Name: Venom, a rescued and rehabilitated fighting dog, just looking for a good home.

Venom lifted his head and looked at Flash, and something tugged behind his ribs.

Flash’s phone buzzed and he looked down at it.

‘BTW, I just took a look at your lease - no weight limit for dogs!’ MJ had texted him - which explained why she wasn't here with Gwen herself, the sneaks.

Flash looked back up at Venom, who wandered over to the bars of his cage and licked at Flash’s hand through it.

God _damn it_.

\--

So he had a dog now. 

“Don't think this means you've won, Stacy.”

She just smiled at him, and kissed the tiny Chihuahua she had ended up adopting and named “Kevin Pawsner” between his ears as Peter held the carrier that held the tiny kitten Gwen was naming “Whitney Mewston”.

Flash rolled his eyes. 

At least she was a gracious winner.

\--

Venom, Flash found, startled easy at loud noises, was scared of thunderstorms, and was anxious around the gas stove.

Flash had never wanted to punch someone more than he did that first time he shut the door too hard and he had to sit on floor for a half hour with his dog in his lap, whimpering as he buried his nose in Flash's neck and Flash pet him and made soft shushing noises until Venom calmed down.

But he also liked to snuggle in bed, or on the couch, and was a perfect gentleman when children wanted to pet him on the street.

And sometimes, on the days it was too hard to get out of bed, Venom walked back and forth on Flash, dragging his leash with him. And maybe Flash couldn't get out of bed for himself, but he sure as hell could for his dog.

“Okay, buddy. Let’s go for a walk, yeah?”

Venom let out a low, happy woof as Flash kissed his head and clipped the leash to his harness.

And once they got going at a casual, easy pace, Flash felt himself feeling better - at least a little bit anyway. The sun on his face helped clear the depressed funk, and watching Venom happily trot about to sniff everything did the rest.

Right up until Venom jerked his leash out of Flash's hand (stupid, _stupid!_ Should held it tighter-!!) and took off down the street.

“Venom _no!_ ” Flash shouted as he took off after him, catching up just to see Venom jumping up on some blond guy. “Oh hell…”

“Venom! It _is_ you, buddy! Look at you, you got adopted! I knew you would!”

Flash blinked, baffled by what was happening in front of him. “You know my dog?”

The man looked up at him and the first thought Flash had was 'what beautiful blue eyes…’

The man stood up, smiling at Flash charmingly, and Flash’s second thought was ‘oh no, the rest of him’s hot, too.’

“I fostered him while he was in rehab.” The man chuckled, the sound rumbling low in his chest and Flash bit the inside of his cheek as he accepted the leash from the guy and wrapped it around his wrist. “I’m Eddie Brock.”

Flash felt captivated by Eddie’s eyes, and his chest, and his biceps… “Flash Brock---I mean Thompson!” Flash stammered, laughing nervously. “I’m Flash Thompson.”

Eddie grinned, and Flash blushed. “Flash, huh?”

“Well. Eugene, but Flash was my nickname in school and it stuck.” Oh God, he had to get out of here before he embarrassed himself more. “I, uh, it was nice meeting you, Eddie. Really, really nice.”

Venom had been doing a weird skipping happy doggie dance around him and Eddie, and he had finally ended up pulling the leash tight enough to send Flash tipping into Eddie with a muffled curse, Flash and Eddie wrapping their arms around each other to keep balance. “Damn it, Venom!” Flash grumbled against Eddie’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry,” he said, pulling back to look Eddie in the eye, because he was not intimidated by attractive men, damn it.

“It’s fine,” Eddie murmured, smiling softly at Flash and making Flash’s heart skip a beat. “Hey, can I treat you to lunch?” Venom barked happily, and Eddie laughed. “Yes yes, you’re invited too, Venom.”

Flash licked his lips nervously.

What what stopping him?

“Sure, I’d like that,” Flash said with a grin. “I mean - I already know my dog likes you.”

Eddie laughed as he helped Flash get them both untangled from Venom’s leash, and Venom sat next to them, tail wagging happily.

( _Good boy_.)


	2. Puppy Love CODA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mentioned to gleesquid that I wanted to write more in this universe and this happened. 
> 
> Yay friendship!

Flash and Gwen were sitting at a booth in the diner, Gwen stirring her milkshake with a straw as she grinned at him.

“Gwendy-”

“Your dog—the dog you didn’t want, by the way-"

"Not this _again_ ," Flash groaned.

"—got you a date with a hot guy-”

“First of all, my dog didn’t get me a _date_ -”

“-who _rescues dogs_ -”

“-it was just _lunch_ -”

“-and you’re trying to tell me that it’s not going anywhere?”

“-and he’s not even into me as a romantic person, so it doesn’t _matter_ how hot, or nice, he is. He only asked me to lunch to see how Venom was doing.”

Gwen and Flash glared at each other before, almost in sync, they sighed and went back to poking at their food.

“He’s _so hot though_ , Gwen,” Flash groaned, dropping his head to the table next to his fries.

“I’d know better if you had pictures, you know,” Gwen said, stealing one of Flash’s fries.

He passed his phone over. “He asked me to take some pictures of him and Venom so he’d have them and gave me his number so I could send them to him,” he told of the table as Gwen thumbed her way through the photos Flash had taken.

“Flash, how did you miss that this was his way of getting your number?”

“I was too busy trying not to trip over my words while having a conversation with a hot guy without seeming too interested just in case he wasn’t gay, or bi, or—” he waved his hand in a loose circle above his head. “—whatever.”

“Gosh, look at those _shoulders_ …”

Flash lifted his head. “ _Right?!_ ”

Gwen hummed as she tapped at his phone - no doubt sending the pictures to MJ and Peter, because she was an _absolutely terrible friend_ that way. Flash let his head fall back to the table with a thud, graciously ignoring Gwen’s thieving of his fries as his phone buzzed.

“Uh… hey, Flash?”

“I don’t wanna know what MJ and Peter have to say about Eddie, Gwen.”

“Eddie’s asking you out to dinner tomorrow night.”

Flash’s eyes snapped opened as he lifted his head from the table and snatched his phone from Gwen, who leaned forward with wide eyes and sipped at her milkshake as she watched him.

‘Hey, are you free for dinner tomorrow night?’ the text read, and Flash’s heart caught in his throat.

‘Sure! Somewhere dog-friendly?’ Flash sent back.

“What did you say?” Gwen demanded, reaching for his phone, and Flash fended her off by shoving several fries into her milkshake. “Ack, no, you’re overflowing it-!”

‘I was thinking you could leave Venom at home, this time.’

“Oh my God,” Flash breathed, reading the sentence over again, just to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks.

“What did he say, what did he _say_?” Gwen reached over and grabbed Flash’s phone back from him, retaliating against him by shoving milkshake covered fries against his cheek.

“Oh _gross-_! Damn it, Gwendolyn!” Flash glared at her as he wiped his face clean.

“Quiet, Eugene,” she said, holding out another dripping French fry like a sword to fend him off. “I’m getting you laid.”

Horror gripped Flash’s chest. “Gwendy, _no!_ ”

“There. Boom. Sexual interest in the hot guy made totally clear.” She tossed his phone at him as she chomped her milkshake covered fry in victory.

“You are disgusting, first of all, that is—ugh. Why do Peter and MJ even date you, you’re a horrid little cave troll with a pretty exterior.”

Gwen grinned at him, eyes sparkling. “You love it.”

Flash rolled his eyes and made a show of wiping his phone clean of her cooties. “Let’s see how you ruined my life—thanks for that, by the way, I really appreciate it.”

“Stop being such a baby, Flashua, and read the text. I did you a favor.”

‘Maybe you could come by and see him if dinner goes well,’ the text she had sent said. 

Not… too terrible. Easy to walk back if things went bad.

Flash looked up at her. “What if he asks about dinner going poorly?”

Gwen licked her fingers clean before wiping them daintily on a napkin and throwing it at his face. “Then he’s doomed to pictures, I dunno, I can’t run your relationship for you, Flash.”

Flash’s phone buzzed in his hand. ‘And if dinner goes poorly?’

‘Then I’ll text you pictures next time he does something cute,’ Flash sent back.

‘Only in you’re in them too.’

‘I can manage that.’

“You’re smiling,” Gwen teased, and Flash rolled his eyes with a sigh.

“Okay, okay, you didn’t ruin everything. Thank you.” He offered her a fry as a peace offering.

She plucked it from his fingers with a gracious nod. “You’re welcome, Flash! There’s just one thing I wanna know.”

Flash, about to bite into a fry, paused and looked up at her. “Dare I ask?”

“It’s just a little thing, it’ll barely take you a minute to answer.”

He did not trust her impish smile. Not a bit. “What?”

She rested her chin on her hand. “Aren’t you glad I made you get a dog?”

Flash threw some of his fries at her as her laugh rang through the diner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry - they left a large tip and helped clean up the mess they left in the diner.


End file.
